Coin-controlled vending-machine.



A. ABBOTT.-l

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3l, I9I7. 1,273, l l 6. Patented July 23, 1918.

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COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1917.

1 ,273, 1 1 6. Patented July 23, 1918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

AGUSTUS ABBOTT, OIE' DENVER, COLORADO.

COIN-CONTROLLED VEN'DING-MACHINE.

` Specieation offLet-ter's Patent. Patented July 23, 1918.

Application inea May 31, 1917. serial 116,172,011.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS ABeoTT, a citizen of the United States, residing. at

Denver, in the county of Denver and StateV of Colorado, have invented 4certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending-lYIachines,` of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates `to coin-controlled vending machines and .itsprimary object resides in providing a mechanism of very simple construction the operation of which is controlled by the dropping of a coin of predetermined value, to deliver r one of a the accompanying drawings in the several views of which like parts are similarly des-Y ignated and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my vendving machine in its preferred forni,

`Fig. 2, an enlarged Sectionina vertical plane indicated by the line 2'-2,'Fig, 1,

F ig. 3, a horizontal section taken along the line 3 3, Fig. 1,

Fig. 1, a. longitudinal section through the sheath in which the lifting device of themachine has its movement,

Fig. 5, a sectional view of a lifting device of modified construction and Fig. 6, a perspective view showing another modication of said device. l

Referring to the drawings by numerical reference characters, 2 Vdesignates a case cov-` ered by a flanged elid 3 which is hinged as at t and which is securedl in its closed position by means of a padlock 5.

The lid and the front of the'V case have glass-covered openings 6 and 7 to permit of the inspection of the contents of the casel from without the same. The lid of the case has a coin-slot 8 at the lower end ofa pocket 9 which is formed upon the face of one of two upright flanges lO which conjointly provide a )guide which directs the operative movement of thelift-ing device, and its posi tion when `at rest, as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Disposed beneath the coin-slot 8 isa narrow inclined chute 12 through which the coin moves vto'release the normally inoperative lifting device and which communicates with an inclined trough 13 in which the coins are collected after the lifter has been released through the instrumentality thereof.

The lifter hereiiibefore repeatedly re ferredto comprises in its preferred form, a-

spea'r-like instrument composed of' ashankl or'sliaft 14 secured at one of itsends'in handle l5 and providedat its oppositeend with a pair of sharp-pointed needles 11G. 'The shank of the spear is longitudinally slidably fitted in a sheath 17 which extends through an opening in the lid of the case and it is mounted in bearings 18 for pivotall movement abouta transverse axis adjacent said opening. Y

A stop i3 on the shankof the lifting device limits its outward"movement by engagen'ient with the inner end of thel sheath and cooperates with the Shoulder 41 formed at the junction of the shank with the handle 15 to direct the movement of 'the lifter and thereby prevent a -c'igarinipaled upon the needles at its ends fromv coming in Contactl with any part .of the case and the mechanism inclosed therein.

The openingthrough which theV lifter eX.- l

' tends' is closed by a cylindrical boss 19 formed integral with the sheath 17 and pro- A vided with trunnions 20 for its pivotal supportfin the bearings which are secured to the lid'3.

A flatespring 21 secured at one 'of its ends to the portion of the sheath within the case,

bears upon the shank of the lifting device to` frictionally hold it in its adjusted'-positions' with relation tothe Sheath.

The means for detaching the y delivered from the needles atthe end of the shank, consists in 4the construction shown in the drawings of a push-arm 22 which is article to be Y pivoted to the lid of the casing at a point 23 Y forward of the pivotal aXes ofthe lifter and which has a bifurcated end- 24 which straddles the shank of the same.A

It will be seen that during upward move;`

ment of the lifter about its-pivotal aXis,4the

' forked end of the releasiuo' device movin through a different arc, slides -alongthe shank thereof and by engagement with an article impaled on the needle, pushes it free j therefrom.

The article thusreleased, falls into a chute 25 which extends through a port 26 in the face of the casing.

The coiii-chute 12 has in the upper edges of its parallel sides, two sets of notches 26 andV 27, one of which prevents the' operation of the lifting device without the vdeposit of a coin of the determinate size in the pocket is providedl with a stop 28 which is pivoted on its sheath asiat 29 and which is held in constant engagement with the edges of the chute by a spring 30.

. VThe depth of the forward set of notches Y is such that a coin 31 heldin the chute by engagement with the end of the stop, bridges the gap thereof and thereby permitsof the movement of the stop across the notch for' the pivotalmovement of the lifter to a position inwhich its point can engage any one of aquantity of articles in the lower portion of the case.

erence `numeral 32 designates a cigar-box "which'is placed upon the bottom of the case with its lid 33 held inthe open position by means of ay brace 34C.

The box'contains a quantity of cigars des'- ignated by the numeral35 and it is the pur- 'pose of the mechanismto remove the cigars singly'from the box after a coin has been deposited lin the pocket 9, and transfer the same to the receiver 25 which discharges outside the case.

To produce this result, a coin of thel required value lis deposited in the pocket and rolls downwardly througlilvthe chute until its movement lis 4arrested by engagement with `the stop 28 on the she-ath of the lifting device which normally rests upon a seat42 formed on the' two flanges 10, with the end of its handle 15 in engagement with the edges of the saine which'are of arcuate form for the guidance of the device during the operative movement.

. vof the lifting deviceto'bring the needles at( the end of its shank in contact with any one The coin in this position bridges the forwardy set of notches in the edges of tliechute, which otherwise Aarrest the pivotal Y movement of the device by engaging the end of its spring-pushed stop,

The stop being through the instrumentality of the coin enabled to move across the notches 36, permits of the pivotal movement of the cigars contained in the box.

l The operator after selecting a cigar from the quantity clearly visible through the glass-covered openings of the lid and the front of the. case, turns the lifter about its pivot until its lowerV end is above the selected article and then presses it downwardly through the sheath until the needles have penetrated the cigar.

The operator'now lifts the cigar iinpaled on the needles,.out of the box ,by outward movement of the shankl until the stopl 36 engages Vthe end lof the shank. The lifting device is subsequently moved about its pivot in ywhich movement it is guided by the engagement of the shoulder 41 of its handle 15, with the arcuate edges of the flanges 10.

lAt the termination of this movement the y into which the coins are deposited forbids In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the refthe use of a larger coin.-

rlhe deposited coins which are collected in the trough 13 are clearly visible through the glass-covered openings of the lid and the front of the case so that any attempt to opcrate the'inachine by the use of any other article than a coin of the required value is readily detected.

The two needles at the end of the shank prevent displacement of the cigar ,with relation thereto during its upward movement, it being understood that it isessential for the proper operation of themachine that the cigar be constantly heldin a substantially liorizontalposition. f

In Fig. 5 is shown va substitute for the needles which consists of a" flat spring 36 which is bent so that itsend portions diverge froni a point of contact 37 to grasp a cigar or similar object. A'

A spreader which separates rtheV end-portions of the spring to permit 'of ltheir-embracing the cigar, consists of a rod 38 which extends through the hollowV shank of the lifting device and Vwhich has at its lower end'a conical point 39 to engage the spring portions adjacent their point of contact and at its opposite end a knobdtO which may be depressed at the outer end of the shank.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings the holding device o'f the lifter 'consists of two resili'entblades l1 which are fastened at theend of the shank so as to readily separate by contact with the article tobe transferred f f `Other modifications in the lconstruction and arrangement of the parts of my im proved mechanism may be made Within the scope of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim- 1. A coin-,controlled vending -machine comprising a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver in connection With said port, a pivoted and longitudinally movable lifting-device extending through an opening in the receptacle, to reach anyone 'of a quantity of articles contained therein, said device including a holding-member adapted to secure one of said articles during its lifting action, a chute connected With the coin-slot of the receptacle and having in its upper edge, a notch adapted to be bridged by a coin of determinate size, a stop on the lifting device bearing upon said edge of the chute to engage said notch and thereby prevent the pivotal movement of the lifting device, the stop being normally disposed to engage the edge of a coin which bridges the notch, and the chute having in its edge a second notch to limit the pivotal movement ofthe lifting device by engagementivith the stop after it has passed across the firstmentioned notch, and means for detaching an article from the holding-member of the lifting device by it-s movement to a point above said receiver.

2. A coin-controlled vending-machine comprising` a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver in connection with said port, a pivoted and longitudinally movable lifting device eX- tending through an opening in the recepta; cle, to reach any one of a quantity of articles contained therein, said device including a holding-member adapted to secure one of said articles during its lifting action, a chute connected with the coin-slot of the receptacle and having in its upper edge, a notch adapted to be bridged by a coin of determinate size, spring-pressed stop on the lifting-device bearing upon said edge of the chute to engage said notch and thereby prevent the pivotal movement of the lifting device, the stop being normally disposed to engage the edge of a coin which bridges the notch, and means for detaching an article from the holding-member of the lifting device by its movement to a point above said receiver.

8. A 'coin-controlled vending-machine comprising a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver in connection With said port, a lifting device adapted to reach any one of a quantity of articles contained in the receptacle and comioscdof a pivoted sheath extending through an opening of the receptacle, a shank longiy tudinally movable in said sheath, and a holding member at the inner end of the shank, to secure one of said articles during its lifting action, a lockingrmechanisin normally preventing the pivotal movement of said device and adapted to release the same through the instrumentality of a coin of determinate size, deposited in the slot of the receptacle, and means for detaching an article from the holding-member of the lifting-device by its movement to a point above said receiver.

4. A coin controlled vending machine comprising a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver in connect-ion with said port, a lifting device 4adapted to reach any one of a quantity of articles contained in the receptacle and c0m.

posed of a pivoted sheath extending through an opening of the receptacle, a shank longitudinally movable in said sheath, a spring to maintain the shank in its adjusted positions relative to the sheath, and a holding member at the inner end of the shank, to secure one of said articles during its lifting action, a locking-mechanism normally preventing the pivotal movement of said device and adapted to release the saniethreugh the instrumentality of a coin of determinate size, deposited in therslot of the receptacle, and means for detaching an yarticle from the vlioldiiig-niembei of the lifting-device by its movement to a point above said receiver.

5. A coincontrolled vending-machine comprising a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver in connection with said port, a lifting device adapted to reach any one of a quantity of articles contained in the receptacle and composed of a pivotal sheath extending through an opening of the receptacle, a shank longitudinally movable in said sheath, a circular* boss on the sheath closing the opening of the receptacle through which it extends, and a holding member at the inner end of the shank, to secure one of said articles during its Vlifting action, a locking mechanism normally preventing the pivotal movement of said device and adapted to release the same through the instrumentality of a coin of determinate size, deposited in the slot of the receptacle, and means for detaching an article from the holding-member of the lifting-device by its movement to a point above said receiver.

6. A coin controlled vending machine comprising a receptacle having a slot for the deposit of coins, and a port for the delivery of purchased articles, a receiver inconnection with said port, a pivoted and longitudinally movable lifting-device eX- iso tending through an opening in the receptacle, to reach any one of a quantity ofarticlesv contained thci'eiin-said'device iiieluding a holding-'memberadapted to secure one -of said articles during its'li'fting action, a

locking mechanism normally 'preventingthe pivotal movement of said device andadapt` 1 ed to release the saine throughthe instru-V mentality of a Icoin of determinate size, de- -posited inthe slot of the receptacle, and

n'ieans ior detaching an article from the holding-member of the lifting-device b v itsy movement to a point above said receiver,.

consisting of a pivoted push-arm having a fork riding along the lifting device during the pivotalinovement thereof. n V

7. A coin-controlled vending machine.

nally movable lifting device extending through,anopening of the receptacle vand adapted to. reach any oneof a quantity of articles contained therein, a locking mecha-` nism normally preventing the'. pivotalr move-- ment of saiddevice andadapted to release.

the saine through the.instrumentalityv of a coin of.deterininate'size deposited in the, slot-of thefreceptacle, a guide o n` the recepf.

tacle directing` the pivotal movement of. the lifting devicel by limiting the inward longitudinal movement thereof, means for limiti ing Athe outward longitudinal movement of.

the device, and means for detaching an article -ii-om the lifting-devicebj7 its movement to apoiiitzabove said receiver.

S. A .coin-controlled-,vending1 machine n comprising a 'receptacle having` aslot for the deposit of coins and a port forithe delivery of purchased articles, a receiver' in connection with said port, an arcuate guide-Harige on the receptacle, a liiting device adapted to reach any-one oif aquantity articles contained in the receptacle and composed of a pivoted sheath extending throughr an open.- ingoi the receptacle, a shank longitudinally movable in said sheath, and a holding-member, at the inner end of the shank, said shank having a stop to limit its outward longitndi-A nal movement by engagement with the sheath, and a shoulder to limit itslinward.

longitudinal movement by engagement. with said guide-flange, a locking-1nechanism noriii-ally preventing` the pivotal'movement of' said device and adapted torelease the sainek through the instrunientalitv of a coin oi' determinate size, deposited in the slot of the f receptacle, and means for detacliing an article from the holding-member of the lifting device by its movement .to a point above said receiver. .y

9. ln a coin-controlled `vending-machine,

a receptacle having va coin-slot and a deliv=- ery port, a coin-controlled litting-deviceincluding an arm extending through an openingl in the top ofthe receptacle and mounted to swing in a vertical plane about a transverse axis and to move longit-i1.dinalliv in a directiontransverse to said axis, Vwhereby to reach any one of a quantity of articles con-Y Copies ofrthis patent inay be obtained for-live cents each, b y addressing the Commissioner ofPatents, 

